


Truth in the Mead

by Zorro_sci



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Asgardian Mead, Drunk!Bruce, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Steve always wins bets, Tony Stark Feels, unintentional confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-10
Updated: 2014-07-10
Packaged: 2018-02-08 06:04:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1929486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorro_sci/pseuds/Zorro_sci
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers drink together, and the truth comes out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Truth in the Mead

**Author's Note:**

> In response to http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/18271.html?thread=42835551&

"A battle well fought, my shield brethren," Thor enthused as the tired band of Avengers sat in the Quinjet on their way back to Avengers' Tower.

"Good work, team," Steve agreed in his "Captain America" voice, but his exhaustion shone through. Honestly, he had no idea how Thor always managed to sound so energetic after a battle.

"Tonight we shall celebrate our victory with the finest Asgardian mead. I was able to procure some on my latest journey back to my homeland," Thor said jovially.

"Sure, sounds great," Tony commented, "but first a shower . . . And maybe a hundred year nap. I know Bruce is with me on that one, aren't you Big Guy?"

"Huh?" Bruce mumbled in drowsy confusion, roused from his near sleep by his name.

"See what I mean?" Tony smirked.

The rest of the trip was spent in weary silence.

When they finally did arrive at the tower, they found themselves reassembling in the kitchen after retreating to their respective floors for a shower. They might have been tired, but a battle did tend to work up an appetite, especially for Bruce and Thor. Without so much as a word Steve and Clint set about making dinner, (during a normal meal Steve and Bruce would cook, but everyone agreed that it was safer if an exhausted, post-Hulk Bruce kept his distance from knives and fire), Natasha set the table, Tony helped keep Bruce propped upright at the table while reading through e-mails on his Starkpad, and Thor recalled the battle as if reciting epic poetry while the others largely ignored him.

The meal was eaten in near silence with the except of the occasional "pass the . . ." or sound of protest from Bruce when Tony elbowed him in the side for starting to fall asleep at the table again.

"You could just let him sleep," Natasha commented after the fourth time Tony prodded the drowsy physicist.

"No, the Hulk burns too many calories. He needs to eat or he'll lose even more weight. He's too thin as it is," Tony countered, before quickly adding, "and he's drooling on my shoulder."

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him, but everyone just returned their attention to their food, or in Tony's case, the man attempting to sleep on his shoulder.

Tony's attention seemed to pay off. By the time Clint and Natasha went to do the dishes, Bruce had finished two plates of spaghetti and seemed much more alert.

"And now to celebrate with a toast!" Thor boomed as he re-entered the dining room hefting a large barrel on his shoulder.

"Man of Iron, can you provide six tankards that we may toast our victory?" Thor inquired.

"Tankards? Sure," Tony said hesitantly as he walked toward the bar, but he returned with six handled vessels that seemed to please Thor.

The god of thunder filled the vessels, and distributed them among the team with a flourish. 

He raised his tankard, waited for the others to follow his lead, and boomed, "To the heroes of Midgard."

The others echoed his toast and reluctantly drank from their mugs, fearing that the Asgardian drink would be incredibly strong. To their surprise it did not have the typical burn associated with high alcohol content. On the contrary, it didn't taste of alcohol at all. It was incredibly sweet and soothing.

"This isn't what I was expecting," Steve admitted.

"No, I was expecting it to have a bit more of a bite," Clint added.

"Thanks for sharing with us Thor," Bruce commented after several swigs from his tankard, "you really are the nicest guy. I mean you would think the god of thunder would have a temper, or be rude, but you're so kind. And you shared your mead with us. You're a stand up guy."

Four pair of eyes shot over to the doctor, surprised at his sudden outburst of candor, or really the fact he had used so many words at all, and they didn't fail to notice the slur in his voice.

"How much has Banner had?" Clint asked, his own eyes slightly glassy as he finished his tankard of mead.

"Not even half a tankard," Tony commented as he looked into the mostly full vessel.

"That's still enough," Steve commented removing the mead from in front of Bruce with a jerky motion that revealed that the captain wasn't entirely sober either.

"I fear the mead is more powerful than I was aware," Thor said taking in the tipsy appearance of his comrades, minus Bruce who was completely drunk. "The good doctor appears to be enibriated." 

Bruce stumbled across the room and plopped down clumsily next to Tony on the couch.

"Great, a drunk Hulk," Natasha muttered under her breath.

"At least he's not turning green. He seems pretty calm," Steve mumbled back as they watched Bruce nuzzle his head against Tony's shoulder.

Tony stiffened in surprise, but didn't move.

"Feeling tired, Big Guy? I know a transformation can really take it out of you," Tony said cautiously.

"No, 'm fine. Better than I've been in a long time," Bruce slurred seriously meeting Tony's gaze with glassy eyes.

"Do'ya know why?" He quizzed as he struggled to keep his eyes locked with Tony's.

"Why?" Tony indulged.

"Because of you," Bruce commented lightly as he snuggled against Tony's side again.

Tony was unable to stop a surprised "what?" from escaping his lips as he ended up with a very snuggly Bruce cuddled up against him.

"You gave me a home," Bruce clarified. "I haven't had a home in a long time . . . .maybe not ever. I've had places I've lived, but I've always been afraid. Always running or hiding from something. First it was my father, then bullies at school, and after the Hulk I spent years running from General Ross and the army, but I was also running from myself. You helped stop that. You helped me accept myself, and gave me a place where I was safe. Where I belonged. You gave me my first real home."

"It was nothing Big Guy," Tony argued, trying to slow the affectionate gush.

"No," Bruce practically whined in protest. "It was a big deal. You've done so much for me. You weren't afraid of me. Not even when we first met. And you saw _all_ of me, not just the nerdy, awkward scientist, or the monster, but the whole me."

"Hey Bruce, you're not a monster, or an awkward nerd," Tony chastised softly.

"But I am; I'm both. And you still weren't afraid of me, or repulsed by me. You _poked_ me. Most people are afraid of breathing the wrong way around me the first time they meet me and you _**poked**_ me! You actually treated me like a person," Bruce continued.

"Well, you are, and you don't deserve to be treated as less," Tony whispered.

"Then you invited me to live with you. You gave me a home, and a lab, and now I'm doing things I could only have dreamed of for the last decade without anyone chasing me, or trying to experiment on me, or kill me. You gave me my life back. You're amazing," Bruce commented in drunken awe.

Tony blushed, but remained silent. He wasn't often rendered speechless, but he had no idea what to say to Bruce. He didn't get much of a chance to respond anyway, because Bruce quickly continued his pro-Tony rant.

"I mean, you're the best friend I've ever had. I can't wait to see you in the lab every day. When I see you everything just seems right in the world. 

Talking to you is so much easier than it has any right to be, and I can trust you. I actually trust you, and the number of people I've been able to trust can be counted on one hand. But somehow I knew I could trust you that first day, and that feeling's only grown since then. 

I know I could tell you anything . . .well almost anything, but you keep a roof over my head and gave me a job, so you're pretty much my landlord and boss in one, so it wouldn't be right for me to tell you that you're so attractive I sometimes can't concentrate when you stand too close to me, or that I've had thoughts about you that I've never had about a man before. That would just be inappropriate. 

I mean you don't go around telling your boss-slash-landlord-slash-science bro that you can't stop thinking about him, or he's the best part of your day. You can't tell him that it's his steady presence by your side that helps you get through the pain and confusion of a post-Hulk episode. It wouldn't do to tell him that you've dreamt about him, or that you would do anything for him. 

No, I guess there are somethings I just can't tell you Tony, because if you knew how much I loved you, you'd probably run away. No one loves a monster, and I can't lose my best friend."

Tony sat opened-mouthed and the others stared as awkwardness filled the room.

"I think Dr. Banner needs to go to bed," Steve broke into the heavy silence. 

He walked over to the plastered physicist, scooped him up in his arms, and made a hasty retreat to the elevator as he sheepishly added, "Sleep it off, right? Clearly that's what he needs."

"Wow," Clint commented as the elevator doors closed behind Steve.

Natasha and Tony nodded their agreement; Tony looking more than a little lost.

"Is it not wonderful! Now that their love for each other has finally been proclaimed!" Thor shouted joyfully.

"That's not how this works, Thor," Tony responded numbly. "Bruce was drunk. He had no idea what he was saying, and I . . ."

"Oh come on, Stark. You feel the same way about him and you know it," Natasha challenged raising an eyebrow knowingly.

"She's right. What was that tonight at dinner about mother-henning him into eating so he didn't lose any more weight?" Clint commented.

"Are you not always the first by his side when he returns to his healer form from his warrior self?" Thor questioned.

"Yeah, but I can fly. It just means that I can usually get there first," Tony argued.

"Tell me you don't push your thrusters to capacity to be by his side the moment you hear he's changing back," Clint challenged with a smirk.

"I-" Tony stuttered.

"And you built him a high-tech lab that probably cost more than the GDP of some countries," Natasha added.

"I did stuff for all of you. I built each of you a floor. I built a sparring gym for you guys, an archery range for Legolas, and specialized arrows, an unbreakable punching bag for Cap, and countless spy gadgets for you and your super spy twin," Tony countered, though he was clearly flustered.

"But, may I point out, sir, that you designed Dr. Banner's lab and floor before you did anyone else's, and you made sure they were completed first," JARVIS intoned.

"J, you traitor, whose side are you on?" Tony said in annoyance.

"I am always on your side sir, but I think that it is best if you acknowledge that you have feelings for Dr. Banner. He clearly cares a great deal for you too," the AI responded levelly.

"Look, even if you were right about my feelings about Bruce, we can't be sure he feels the same way. He was drunk. That was 'I love you, man,' only more because he can't handle his mead," Tony sighed as he looked around the room.

"He was definitely intoxicated," Natasha agreed, "but he seemed to be telling the truth."

"You should listen to her, Stark. Nat has a sixth sense. She always knows if someone if lying."

"I just . . . I need some time to think. I'm going to bed," Tony said as he headed toward the elevator. 

This whole situation had brought up a lot of emotions for him, and he was unsure of how to deal with them.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Tony was awoken the next morning by JARVIS, who informed him that Dr. Banner was awake.

Tony threw on some clothes and hurried down to Bruce's floor. He hesitated at the door, but after a moment let himself in, and rushed to the kitchen where he set out a bottle of water and some aspirin on the counter. Then, he took out a frying pan and started cooking hash browns and eggs. He didn't really cook, but frying up hash browns, eggs and bacon had been an important part of his hangover cure in his early twenties.

He was serving the fried breakfast food onto a plate when Bruce padded into the kitchen with a groan. He looked over at Tony, back at the floor, and the jerked his head back up to look at Tony.

"Did you make me breakfast?" Bruce asked groggily as he took the plate that Tony offered him.

"Yep. I figured you probably weren't feeling the greatest after getting plastered last night. Speaking of, this might help with that too," Tony said as he handed Bruce the aspirin and water.

"Thanks," Bruce said as he downed the pills. 

"So, how are you feeling?" Tony asked tentatively.

Bruce groaned, "Like I hulked out, got hit by a truck, and then hulked out again."

"We all were a little surprised how potent that stuff was. No one except Thor left anything less than tipsy, and no one had more than a tankard and a half. We're talking Cap, who can't get drunk on alcohol from Earth, a Russian spy who probably drank vodka out of her baby bottle, and Clint and I who are major drunken reprobates," Tony commented with a smirk.

"What chance did a lightweight like me have?" Bruce joked, but failed to smile as he was struck with another wave of nausea.

"Exactly," Tony agreed as he dished up some eggs for himself and joined Bruce at the table.

The two ate in companionable silence. Neither of them mentioned the events of the previous night further. All memories of the previous night were lost in a mead-induced haze for Bruce, and Tony figured if Bruce didn't remember he could let it go too. Or at least he did at first.

As the meal went on Tony couldn't stop thinking about what Bruce had said the night before. Bruce had been drunk, but if what he said was true . . .but it was too much to hope. Surely Bruce was just in a loving mood brought on by the mead. If Steve had brought him another plate of spaghetti he would have probably proposed marriage given how hammered he was. Well, at least that was what Tony was telling himself.

Besides, if Bruce had been telling the truth there were still problems. All that stuff about Tony being his boss and landlord. Sure, Tony technically owned the building, and Tony had helped Bruce get a job with Stark Industries, but he didn't want Bruce to think of him as an authority figure. He wanted to be his lab partner, colleague, and roommate. He wanted Bruce to see him as an equal because for once he had someone who could keep up with him who he could stand, (unlike a certain Reed Richards), and who was also willing to put up with him. He didn't want that screwed up by Bruce thinking of him as his superior.

Even worse was what Bruce had slipped in toward the end. "No one loves a monster." Those words had been ringing through Tony's mind ever since last night. It tore at his heart that Bruce could feel that way, so he sincerely hoped that what Bruce had said had all been a greatly exaggerated, mead-induced, altered reality.

Unable to keep these thoughts from racing through his head, and feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute, Tony excused himself to go work down in his lab. Bruce finished his breakfast alone, wondering what had possessed Tony to cook for him. And why he had retreated so suddenly afterward.

He decided not to think about, because even with the help of the aspirin he still felt like he'd been run over a few dozen times. He took his time getting ready and going through his morning routine. 

After a double session of mediation and yoga he decided he should probably head to the lab and try to salvage something of the day, so he made his way to the elevator.

The doors opened to reveal Thor, who grinned widely when he saw the doctor.

"Good morning brother Banner! I have heard from our friend the archer that friend Stark left your apartment this morning. I assume that means that the two of you have spoken of last night's revelations. I told the others there was no need for awkwardness or embarrassment," Thor boomed.

"What?" Bruce asked, very confused about what "revelations" Thor was speaking of, and secretly incredibly thankful that the aspirin had taken care of most of the headache. He's not sure how he would have handled Thor's voice otherwise.

"Your declarations last night. Do you not remember? You profoundly thanked friend Tony for giving you a home and then made known your affection for him," Thor supplied.

"I what?!?" Bruce cried. Oh, this was bad. He'd let his guard down, and apparently he'd blabbed about his feelings for Tony. No wonder the other man had been so quick to leave earlier.

His mind was spinning, and he was so busy trying to think of what he should do next if he hoped to salvage his friendship with Tony, that he almost missed what Thor said next.

"I do not understand. If he was not in your apartment to discuss what happened last night, what was friend Tony doing?"

"He made me breakfast. When I woke up he handed me some aspirin for my hangover and he'd made me eggs," Bruce answered distractedly still trying to calculate if there was any recovery from his misstep the night before.

"That only makes things more confusing. He clearly cares for you. He would not have gone to such trouble this morning if he did not, and you clearly care for him, or you would not have declared such last night, but both of you seem worried and afraid. Should you not be celebrating your bond?" Thor mused.

"I am fairly certain our bond doesn't extend beyond friendship. Tony helped me this morning because he's a good friend, but even so, he couldn't stay through breakfast because I made things awkward between us after what I said last night. He knows I want more than friendship and he feels bad because he isn't interested in more. And honestly, I can't blame him. I just hope I haven't ruined things so badly we can't go back to being friends."

"Midgardians are quite funny. How is it that those who are the most learned amongst you can be the most blind about the ways of the heart? I assure you, your bond is far greater than friendship, and is far from one-sided."

Bruce took a moment to think about Thor's words as the elevator stopped at the lab and he scrambled out. Could he be right? He did have the benefit of centuries of experience. Maybe Bruce should take his chances. He'd already blurted out what he was feeling. He supposed it wouldn't hurt things much more to ask Tony what he thought about it.

He took a steadying breath and walked into the lab that he and Tony shared.

"Tony?" he asked hesitantly as he walked up behind the engineer.

"Yeah, Big Guy?" Tony replied without looking up.

"Can we talk about last night?" Bruce asked as casually as he could manage, which wasn't very. Tony nearly dropped the tool he had been using, but he managed to put it down, and then turned around to face Bruce.

"What about it?" Tony countered guardedly.

"Well, Thor informs me that I might have said some things about 'having great affection for you,'" Bruce started.

"Yeah, but you were drunk. Believe me, as someone who has been drunk more times than he can count, I know the 'I love you, man' is par for the course. You don't need to worry about it," Tony dismissed. His voice was casual, but he couldn't help from feeling a slight ache in his chest, so he turned his back in case some of it showed on his face. He was fairly certain Bruce hadn't really meant what he said, but that didn't mean he didn't want it to be true.

"Oh, thanks," Bruce answered, almost content to let it drop. Then he remembered what Thor had said, and paused momentarily before continuing, "But what if I actually meant it? What if I actually care about you in a non-friend sort of way? I mean, what if I maybe love you . . . . ."

Tony turned back around, his eyes desperately searching Bruce's face as he asked, "Do you?"

Bruce looked at the floor before he answered, "Yes. I can't stop thinking about you. I haven't felt this way about anyone since Betty."

Silence filled the lab. Bruce shifted his weight awkwardly between his feet for a few moments before he continued in a rush.

"Look, if you don't feel the same way I don't want things to be awkward. I . . .probably shouldn't have said anything, but I thought you should know the truth. Maybe we should just forget . . . ."

Suddenly he was cut off by Tony leaping out of his chair and running to throw himself in Bruce's arms in an enthusiastic hug.

"Don't you dare suggest we forget you ever said anything," he whispered fiercely before he captured Bruce's lips in a hungry kiss.

"Took you long enough to react," Bruce joked when their lips parted.

"What can I say . . .you surprised me," Tony answered with a shrug. "But I feel the same way. I don't know when or how it happened, but you mean more to me than I could express. I actually trust you, and I don't trust many people. And I just want to see you safe and happy . . . Oh, and Bruce. One more thing. 

Last night you said that I could never return your feelings because 'no one loves a monster.' If we're going to do this thing, you have to promise me one thing . . .never call yourself a monster again."

"I'll try," Bruce agreed, pulling in the other for another kiss.

The pair lost themselves in the moment until they heard clattering in the vents above. They pulled back and listened as the noise moved across the ceiling.

"Nat! Tell Steve he won the bet! Can you believe they worked it out in less then twenty-four hours? I was sure they were going to dance around each other for days," they heard Clint's voice call in the distance.

The scientists exchanged a look, and then went back to their previous task.


End file.
